2021 was the first year I selected a single word to guide my goals for the year. Last year's word was flourish. I wanted to my professional life to thrive as I soaked up new knowledge, and I wanted my personal relationships to grow stronger.
As I reflect back on my 2022one word goals; I can say with confidence that I selected the right word. I jumped into new learning (hello going back to grad school for my educational leadership degree). I also made the most of spending time with loved ones.
I love the simplicity of choosing one word to direct your focus for the year. Instead of selecting multiple specific goals to try and achieve, choose one word to be at the forefront of your mind.
This one word will be overarching, allowing smaller goals and accomplishments to fit within it.
So what is my one word for 2023?
I am selecting the word fearless.
The definition of fearless means free from fear. B R A V E.
You see.......I am ready to be fearless. I choosing to not let worry, anxiety or fear stand in my way of anything--personally or professionally.
If there is an opportunity--I am going to take it!
If there is an adventure--I am going on it!
I plan to be bold and courageous!
Need help selecting a word of the year? Check out this post from blogger Elizabeth McKnight. She gives some great inspirational word examples and a more in-depth explanation on the benefits of choosing one word to guide your focus.
What will be your word? I would love if you would share!
How ready are you for winter break? Teaching is such a taxing and exhausting (yet rewarding) occupation. When teachers FINALLY arrive at a long break....They. Are. Ready!
All too often winter break seems to quickly slip through our fingers, and we arrive at the beginning of January and wonder how the new year arrived so quickly.
Breaks are elusive little things, aren't they?
In order to take full advantage of your time off, I urge you to make a Winter Break Bucket list for yourself! Bucket lists are a great ways to ensure that relaxation, fun and meaningful moments happen.
By the end of break I want to look back on the the two weeks and have something to show for it---and I want that for you too!
Click the image below to download this free resource! Included in the download are multiple bucket list bingo boards. There are two pre-filled bucket boards with lots of fun options! You don't even have to think of your own fun--just print and start enjoying life. Ha!
I truly hope you find this Winter Bucket List for teachers helpful and that you have an opportunity in these next few weeks to take time for yourself. Winter break is the perfect time to slow down, take a deep breath and breathe fresh perspective into your life.
It is SO IMPORTANT that you fill your cup, so that you are ready to tackle the rest of the school year. Remember that self care doesn't mean me first, it just means me too!
Almost every teacher wants to buy a holiday gift for each of their students--but with classes of 30+ kids......it just gets too darn expensive!
As a reading interventionist I service around 60 students, so I am always on the hunt for something festive and inexpensive. Thus....I use treat tags! Treat tags are a wonderful option--simple, relatively low cost and fun! Click the image below if you would like download the Elf Kisses treat tags FOR FREE! I simply staple the treat tag to a ziplock back with a few Hershey kisses inside! You don't have to use Hershey kisses....you could really do any treat!
In the past, I have also gifted my students with "rudolphs." To make these adorable reindeers, you use tootsie pops and a printable pattern. Click here or the image below to take you to the blog post--it will give you directions and the free printable pattern to use!
If you just want to celebrate with your class, but not purchase gifts there are lots of festive party ideas to do!
Hot Chocolate Bar-- Set up a hot cocoa drink station with fun mix-ins (candy canes, chocolate chips, whip cream, marshmallows, etc.) Let the students sip the hot cocoa as the color, watch a movie or play games.
Build Gingerbread Houses-- Have students build their own gingerbread houses using graham crackers, icing and various candy materials. Students could also work in teams to complete the structures.
Cookie Decorating--bring cookies and decorating supplies and let the student's creativity fly! Students could enjoy their baked creations as the watch a movie or play games. For an extra layer of fun--make it a cookie decorating competition!
Holiday Sing-A-Long--create a playlist of your favorite carols and have a class sing-a-long party.
We know that some children arrive at school already behind because they come from a home that is language poor. Language poor environments are homes where children are exposed to minimal printed words, have minimal conversations, a limited opportunity to acquire background knowledge and do not hear academic language spoken. (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997, 1998)
As teachers, it is our job to help close the gap between the language rich and the language poor.
One of the ways to do that is by creating a classroom that is literacy rich! Check out the EIGHT ideas below to make your classroom a literacy rich environment.
1. Read aloud to your students daily
Reading aloud to your students everyday creates a strong foundation for literacy development. Students are able to hear phrased, fluent reading and are exposed to a myriad of new words that aren't often used in everyday conversation.
Typically, listening comprehension of students is much higher than their reading comprehension, which allows teachers to select books that stretch the listener. Teacher read alouds also level the playing field....less able readers are exposed to the same rich and engaging books that fluent readers can read on their own. Students of all ages benefit from hearing experienced readers share stories.
Fill your classroom libraries with variety! Make sure to include fiction, non-fiction, picture books, graphic novels, poetry, magazines--basically any printed material you can find. The more materials students have available--the more likely they are to read.
3. Encourage your students to play with words.
Find ways to have fun with words. Kids always seem to be more engaged when you attach the word "game" to a lesson! During indoor recess, or even during centers allow students to engage in games like Scrabble, Bananagrams, Bogle, Balderdash or Apples to Apples. Or, check out some of the literacy games I have available at Mind Spark's store! These make great additions to literacy centers!
4. Get your kids writing
Writers often have an expansive vocabulary they use to deliver the message of their script. Teachers can help students develop their personal lexicon by having students write daily! Students can journal, answer exit tickets or engage in creative writing exercises.
You don't have to wait until April (National Poetry Month) to read poetry to your students. You should be sharing poems, and sharing them often. Poets have an amazing way they play with words to create magic! Check out a previous post, Top 10 Poetry Activities to Use in Your Classroom, to inspire you to start using poetry in your classroom!
6. Directly teach vocabulary words
Research supports that teachers should directly teach 10 to 12 vocabulary words per week. Directly teaching doesn't just mean providing the definition of the word and moving on....but using an explicit vocabulary routine to help kids own the word! Check out this blog post from Voyager-Sopris to give you an explicit vocabulary routine and tips on selecting the right words!
7. Use unusual words
Challenge yourself to use 10 dollar words with your students. Ten dollar words are precise, descriptive and uncommon. Use these "ten dollar" words over and over again, until your students start incorporating these words in their everyday vocabulary. For example, instead of saying, "That makes me sad," you could say, "That fills my heart with sorrow."
8. Create opportunities for students to converse
Communication requires students to use all of the language that swirls around in your classroom. The language you have been working really hard to help them acquire. Create opportunities where you dialogue with students, and time where students are able to converse with one another. Cooperative learning strategies (think, pair, share or think, write, pair, etc.) are great ways to incorporate conversation into your classroom.
Now that you have a handle on how to make YOUR classroom language rich, how might you help parents? Check out this post, which gives FOUR simple strategies you can share with your parents to make their home language rich!
Did you know learning word meanings occurs rapidly from birth through adolescence when children hear good language models?
In fact the average four year old child hears 30 million words from birth to age three. BUT, children who grow up in a talkative home hear 48 million words by age 4!
When students show up to school from a "language rich" environment, reading is easer for them. They have been exposed to many words, have background knowledge, understand academic language and have knowledge of specific word meanings. All of this lays a strong foundation for learning how to read.
However, students who come from a "language poor" environment have a greater chance that reading will be difficult for them. Some children will come to school already suffering from word poverty. These kids will know fewer words, simply because the environment they grew up in was not a talkative one.
The graph below shows how the gap in word knowledge grows when a student enters school. This study was conducted by Andrew Biemiller, professor at the University of Toronto. As you can see students who enter school with average to advanced word knowledge acquire a vocabulary more quickly and easier than those who enter school less vocabulary adept.
Why might coming from a talkative home matter? Well it is proven that children with better vocabularies learn to read more easily than those with a limited vocabulary (Metsala, 1999)
Adults can facilitate the process of word learning when they do the following things:
1. Introduce new words
Teach your children new words. You can do this by using children's literature, or by simply telling them a word and explaining it. During the explanation, make sure you give a kid-friendly definition. You can also increase their understanding by giving synonyms, antonyms and showing images of the word.
For example: A parent is reading a non-fiction book about sharks to her son. She reads the word, "predator" in a sentence and then stops to define the word to her child. She says, "A predator is an animal that gets food by hunting other animals. Bears are predators. Lions are predators. The opposite of a predator is prey."
2. Elaborate on what a child has said
As you converse with your child, extend their thinking. Ask them to explain their thoughts by using open ended questions. After your child has finished verbalizing their thoughts, tell a similar story or add additional details to what they have said.
For example: When a child talks about their day at school, a parent could ask: I wonder why? What might you do differently next time? How did you..." Check out this list of open ended questions you could ask to get your child thinking and talking from Parents Magazine.
3. Confirm and clarify a child's attempt to use new words
If a child uses a word correctly, congratulate them. Encourage them to compare or contrast words, or even act out or show the word they used. If you child uses a word incorrectly, validate their desire to use precise vocabulary and then interject with the word that should have been used. Then invite your child to repeat the word and try to use it in the right context.
For example: You said the krill was a predator in the story, but I think you meant the krill was prey. I am so proud of you for using precise vocabulary, but predator means an animal that hunts weaker animals and prey means animals that are vulnerable to being hunted by stronger animals. Do you want to try using predator in a sentence?
4. Use unusual words in conversation
I sometimes refer to unusual words as, "ten dollar words." These words are precise, descriptive and uncommon. Use these "ten dollar" words over and over again, until your child starts incorporating these words as apart of their everyday vocabulary.
For example: Wow! Your dominoes just collapsed! Collapse means to fall over.
Check out this video published on Reading Rockets, in which Dr. Rebecca Silverman gives great examples on what parents can do to help build vocabulary with their children
There is so much to LOVE about this season. The weather, colors, holidays, smells, food....... So. Many. Things to adore. This time of year just makes me happy, and I enjoy sharing that happiness with my students. One of the best ways to pass along appreciation for autumn is to read aloud some fantastic books that celebrate the season.
Below are EIGHT books that make PERFECT read alouds to honor the best season of the year.
This book has AMAZING photos that really capture the beauty of fall. It shows the changes in animals, plants and landscapes. It also introduces many important concepts using kid friendly language --hibernation, migration, seed dispersal, etc.
Follow a little girl's journey as she experiences the fall season with apple and pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving and trick or treating. A great way to show fun that families can have during the fall season!
A fun little story that tells about a bear cub's first fall. Leaves is a great way to teach young readers about the changing of the seasons and hibernation.
Follow a little boy, Tim, as he discovers the life cycle of a pumpkin. It begins when Tim carves Jack, his fierce and funny pumpkin. Jack begins to rot, so Tim sets him outside and watches how he changes. By spring a plant begins to grow!
You can't go wrong with a a book by Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Lois Ehlert! Go along on a journey with a man made of leaves as the billowy wind blows! It is a wonderful book to celebrate Autumn and also includes facts on how to identify leaves!
Young children are sure to love this beautifully written story which vividly details fall. Stinger does a fantastic job with the lyrical quality of words she chose--really getting the reader to feel as if they are in "yellow time."
Are you looking for fun and easy individually wrapped treats you can pass out to your students at school for Halloween?
Maybe you are looking for something that is healthy and cheap?!? I mean.......everyone knows that a spooky good time ALWAYS involves treats!!
I have a handful of ideas you can check out below, and I promise any of these ideas will guarantee a smile on a students face! The best part about these ideas is that they will require little time and very little in the way of supplies.
1. String Cheese Ghost
To make this cheese ghost all you need is a pack of string cheese and a black sharpie. Simply draw a spooky face on the top of each string cheese. Cheap, easy and healthy!
2. Orange Pumpkins
Just like the cheese ghosts, all you need is a sharpie and an orange fruit of choice. Grab a bag of cuties, clementines or oranges and use a sharpie to draw a pumpkin face on each fruit.
Make sure to have wipes on hand or a sink, as eating an orange or a clementine in class can get a bit sticky. The good news--your classroom will smell really good!
I have also used peach and orange jello cups instead of fresh oranges. Same effect...but maybe a little less messy when kids eat them.
3. Pudding Bats
Although not as healthy as a string cheese ghost or orange pumpkin, the pudding bat is just as cute! For this fun snack you need black or brown construction paper, tape, a sharpie and pudding cups.
Use the sharpie to draw eyes and fangs on the pudding cup. Cut bat wings from the brown or black construction paper, and tape them on to the outside of the pudding cup. Googly eyes could also be used instead of sharpie eyes.....sharpie eyes just takes less time!
4. Mummy pouches
Get any sort of baby food pouch (literally my four year old still eats baby food pouches---it is the only way he will touch veggies) or squeezable applesauce. Wrap the pouches with white party streamers and fasten with tape. You can sharpie eyes on the face of the mummy, or glue on googly eyes.
5. Halloween Treat Tags
Using treat tags are a perfect way to give and put a smile on the faces in your classroom without breaking the bank! Simply print out the tag of choice and attach it to the trinket or treat it matches. Printing the treat tags on cardstock make the tags more durable!
If you are looking for more festive ideas, check out list of 30 ideas from Room Parent by PTO Today!
At our building, teachers and students dress up and have fall parties! I sure love seeing all of the creativity.....and I am confident parents love the fact they get one more use out of their kid's costumes!
If you aren't sure what you will dress up as, AND you want something that is super easy, cheap and quick to make check out this notebook paper idea I made a few years back.
Making it was VERY easy and required little supplies. All you need is a white shirt, permanent markers (blue, red and black), a ruler and the ability to draw straight lines!
Another easy idea is to be that elusive traveler, Waldo, from the Where's Waldo series. I purchased the red and white stripe dress from Amazon, and wore it on top of black leggings.
To finish out the costume, I purchased some circle shaped eyeglasses, a stocking hat and a cane. Super easy, and comfortable! Bonus--the dress also works well for an elf on Christmas!
Are you curious about how the first days in intervention or pull out groups go? Make sure you check out post 1, by clicking here. On the first post I shared what I do on the first day of pull out intervention. Perhaps a quick read through will help you get some ideas of your own....
Day one is all about about building relationships and teaching your new students the routines, procedures and agreements that are in place to maximize your time together.
Day 2 is a review of the routines, procedures and agreements. Reviewing and re-teaching expectations is important to keep your year running smoothly. In fact....beyond the first few days in small group, I still review...especially after a long weekend or a holiday break.
One effective way to review behavior expectations is having students brainstorm what a "ready to learn" student looks and sounds like using a t-chart. Younger students can draw pictures, or teachers can scribe as students share their answers. Older students can write bulleted lists with a partner, and then share whole class.
After the reviewing classroom expectations, I continue to build the culture I want to have in my classroom by reading Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen.
This is a great read to build a sense of community within your small group. It helps the students learn that our classroom will be a place that is safe to be themselves, make mistakes and be a good friend to others.
After reading the story, we stop to dialogue about how we are classroom family even though we aren't related. Students share what makes them special and unique, and we make a commitment to be loving family members.
Our Class is a Family flows right into making a collaborative class puzzle. I use the free collaborative class puzzle from TeachEZY on Teachers Pay Teachers.
I explain that individual puzzle pieces are all beautiful and unique. Each piece has different shapes, colors, patterns and prints....but it takes ALL of the puzzle pieces to create one stunning, complete image. The puzzle is just like our classroom family---one complete, amazing picture and the pieces are each of you--wonderfully unique!
Next, each student gets a blank puzzle piece which they decorate to represent themselves. I love seeing their creativity and passions on paper!
While students are working on their puzzle pieces, I take the opportunity to complete some diagnostic testing.....because small group instruction will be happening the next day!
What do the first days of your small groups look like?
